Photo by Amy DeMien The complete cast Peacock Players production performing a fast-forward version of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”

[Abridged]

A light saber battle between Romeo and Tybalt, a cooking show version of Titus Andronicus, and the plot of Othello told entirely through rap are just some of the ways Peacock Player’s production of “The Complete Works of Shakespeare “ reinterprets the iconic works of William Shakespeare for the modern audience.

During the opening weekend matinee performance on Feb. 4, the production covered all 37 of Shakespeare plays in 97 minutes. The first 36 plays were all presented before intermission and a creative retelling of Hamlet, including fast-forward and backwards versions of the play, occupied the entire second act. All the plays were performed by 11 cast members who took on multiple roles throughout, a slight diversion from the original production.

“The play was originally written for three people,” Director Andrea Underhill said. “But we adapted it for 11 students to showcase the students’ different abilities. There are so many roles throughout the show and we couldn’t pass up the opportunity.”

Composed entirely of high-school students, the cast included 18-year-old Lily Ayotte, 16-year-old Mark Colley, 15-year-old Jessica Davis, 16-year-old Christopher Ellars, 18-year-old Jason Frank, 16-year-old Lucille O’Keefe, 15-year-old Andrew Shapiro, 18-year-old Olivia Silva, 17-year-old Jerome Trudeau, 15-year-old Allison Weed, and 17-year-old Erin Wilson.

“We chose the best performers we could find,” Artistic Director Keith Weirich said. “They’re completely fearless and very inventive with the material.”

Despite being teenagers, each of performers juggled multiple roles wholly different from what they were used to whether they were male cast members performing the roles of Ophelia and Juliet or female cast members taking on the titular roles of Romeo and Julius Cesar. During each new play within the play, the actors and actresses transport themselves into the source material while still maintaining their personalities within the characters they assumed.

“What I found most interesting about the acting process was that while we were playing our character, we were also playing ourselves, infusing our own personality into it,” said actor Jason Frank, who played Hamlet during the second act.

Even as the actors immerse themselves in their roles, they still manage to break the fourth wall on occasion and interact with the audience.

“What’s really great is the dynamic between the audience and the cast,” said actor Jerome Trudeau, who played Macbeth and Hamlet’s Gertrude. “It changes with each performance as the adults and teens react differently to the jokes but the interaction is always a great energy builder.

Unlike most Shakespeare productions, audience participation played a big role in the play, especially during the second act. While the first act involved cast members engaging the audience in conversations between scenes such as when one self-proclaimed “pre-emptive” Shakespeare scholar asked audience members what plays they’ve seen or read, the second act had audience members assuming roles on stage. During a Freudian interpretation of Ophelia’s breakdown, for instance, the actors brought audience members Krystal Morin and Meaghan Wilson to reflect different parts of Ophelia’s Psych. Meaghan was assigned the task of running back and forth across the stage while Krystal screaming loudly during a ridiculous representation of Ophelia’s Id, Ego and Super Ego.

“You think when you’re pulled on stage it’s going to be terrifying, but it was actually really fun,” Morin said. “The show is so ridiculous that you have to bring yourself to that level. You have to embrace it.”

“I knew the person who pulled me up, but it was still a surprise,” said Wilson, sister to cast member Erin Wilson. “I thought the cast did a great job and was glad to be a part of it.”

The audience participation scene is part of the improvisational nature of this Peacock Player’s production.

Cast member Erin Wilson, who played Richard III and Claudius among other roles, pointed out that even though “there is a script in place, we’re able to put our own spin it which becomes a collaborative process.”

Managing Director Emerson Kelly added: “Not many plays have an improv element. It makes Shakespeare accessible and presents it in a way the audience isn’t used to. Educationally, it’s a tremendous opportunity for the students.”

“The Complete Works of Shakespeare ,” has three shows left – 2 and 7 p.m. today, and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Court Street Theatre – for Shakespeare fans looking for an interactive experience with plenty of laughs.

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